Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Sal Barry opens a box of 2022-23 Ultimate Collection Hockey cards. Each box has four premium hockey cards, including one autographed card and one jersey card.
Are you collecting any cards from the 2022-23 Ultimate Collection Hockey set? Leave a comment and let us know!
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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk. ■
In this episode, Sal Barry and Tim Parish finally give their take on 2023-24 Upper Deck Series Two Hockey cards. Sal talks about the box of Series Two he opened, including the hits – and misses. Plus, a look at the upcoming 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, and what hockey fans need to know about that show. It’s 80 minutes of hockey goodness.
Show Notes and Links
Sal Barry on the NHL ’94 Podcast (YouTube)
$2M of Cards Stolen at Dallas Show (Sports Collectors Digest)
DragonBall-Z “Over 9000” Reference (YouTube)
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Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
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Since NHL Free Agency started last week, over 40 NHL players have signed free agency contracts with new teams. Notable signings include Steven Stamkos with the Predators, Jake Guentzel with the Lightning, Ilya Samsonov with the Golden Knights, Elias Lindholm with the Bruins, Sean Monohan with the Blue Jackets, and Vladamir Tarasenko with the Red Wings.
There were some trades too, such as the deal that sent Bruins’ goalie Linus Ullmark to the Senators.
Nearly all of the players changing teams over this summer are NHL regulars who will appear on one or more hockey cards this upcoming season.
Unfortunately, it’s going to take some time before we can expect to see cards picturing these players in their new threads.
The next few cards of Steven Stamkos that we find in packs will still show him in his Lightning jersey. Sorry, Predators’ fans. You’ll just have to wait a little longer.
Of course, part of that reason is because Upper Deck is still releasing sets from the 2023-24 season over the summer, as well as the 2022-23 Premier set coming out this week.
And even sets released prior to the start of the season, like 2024-25 MVP, will use photos from before March’s trade deadline. Other sets like Upper Deck Series One and Artifacts will be released in October – still too soon to see any of the summer signings or trades reflected.
But it wasn’t always that way. Card companies used to go through great lengths to picture players in their new uniforms after a trade or free agent singing.
Continue reading “NHL Free Agency Frenzy: Don’t Expect Updated Hockey Cards Anytime Soon”
At the end of June, the NHL doled out its annual awards, giving props to the best rookie, the top defenseman, and the most valuable player, among others.
Unfortunately, the NHL overlooks other players who should also receive awards, but don’t – such as the player who came out of nowhere and impressed everyone, the player who can put up the points and their fists, and the player that everyone wants to punch in the face.
That’s where the Puck Junk awards come in. For seven years now, this website has given shout-outs to the players who really deserve them. So, here are your Puck Junk Award Winners for 2024!
Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk all about the 2024 NHL Awards, the NHL Entry Draft, and NHL Free Agent Frenzy – including some surprise free agent signings. Plus, a discussion about a vending machine that dispenses graded Pokémon cards, and other similar vending machines from past years. It’s 88 minutes of hockey goodness!
Show Notes and Links
Gambling On PSA 10 Pokémon Cards in a Las Vegas Casino (YouTube)
The Star Cards Vending Machine (Puck Junk)
The 1997 NHL Awards (YouTube)
Brodeur vs. Hextall Table Hockey Game – feat. a young Drake (YouTube)
TSN “Tender” Tinder Parody for Available Goaltenders (YouTube)
NOTE: The Rocket Richard Trophy was donated by the Montreal Canadiens in 1999. Maurice Richard was still alive when the trophy was donated, but passed away before it was first awarded in June 2000.
Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
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or Transistor.
Connect
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Subscribe
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Support
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■
It’s that time of year. The days are longer and hotter. Kids are out of school. And collectors are gearing up for the National Sports Collectors Convention once again.
The five-day NSCC opens on July 24 (with the annual VIP Party) at Cleveland’s I-X Center featuring over 600 dealers and vendors spread out across 420,000 square feet. Organizers are already calling “the second-largest trade show event to occur in the NSCC’s 44-year history” following last year’s record-breaking show in Chicago.
As always, there will be a plethora of signers – from Hall of Famers to current stars – and corporate booths featuring the likes of Topps, Upper Deck and PSA. In other words, there’s something for everyone – no matter how you collect.
For hockey collectors, the National remains a must-visit – especially if you’ve never been to one – although the Toronto Sport Card Expo (held twice each year) is hockey heaven. Nonetheless, there will be something for hockey fans in Cleveland.
Here’s a look at what to expect at the 44th National Sports Collectors Convention, which runs from Wednesday, July 24 to Sunday, July 28:
Continue reading “Clemente’s Corner: All Eyes on Cleveland for the 2024 National”
Sal Barry and Clemente Lisi discuss the 2024 Stanley Cup Final: how the Panthers looked unbeatable, then the Oilers stormed back, then the Panthers finally getting the job done – and if Connor McDavid really deserved to be the playoff MVP. Plus, Clemente talks about his visit to the Chantilly Card Show last weekend. It’s 50 minutes of hockey goodness!
Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.
Connect
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel.
Support
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■
The Panthers Win…and So Does McDavid?Monday night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 7 between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers was certainly…something.
Exciting? Sure. It was a close Game 7 that was decided by one goal. But honestly, I feel that a lot of the excitement was the anticipation leading up to the game, and maybe not the game so much.
Did the game have exciting moments? Sure, that mad scramble in front of the Panthers’ crease, where both Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman were unable to tie the game, was intense. So was the breakaway goal scored by Oilers center Mattias Janmark. The game had its moments for sure.
But the bottom line is that this was a game that was won by one goal because the Panthers played their suffocating style of defense, knowing that they could win the game 2-1 but not 8-7.
And the saying goes, offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
Apparently, offense wins the MVP award, too. Continue reading “Defense Wins Championships – But Offense Wins MVP?”
Sal Barry opens a box of 2023-24 Black Diamond Hockey cards, hoping to find a Connor Bedard rookie card. Each box has six premium hockey cards, including one autograph or Diamond Relic.
Are you collecting any cards from the 2023-24 Black Diamond Hockey set? Leave a comment and let us know!
Love hockey? Join the Puck Junk Facebook Group, listen to the Podcast, subscribe to the Newsletter and YouTube Channel, and support this site at the Online Shop.
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk. ■
Jean MacLeod (Sr. Creative Director) and Mike Phillips (Executive VP of Sales & Marketing) of Upper Deck join us on the podcast. The two worked together on many sports card sets in the 1990s, such as Fleer Metal Universe Hockey and the various E-X 2000 trading card sets. MacLeod and Phillips also talk about the upcoming 2023-24 E-X 2000 Hockey set coming this fall. It’s 55 minutes of hockey goodness!
Follow
Follow Sal Barry on X/Twitter @PuckJunk & Instagram @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on X/Twitter @TheRealDFG & Instagram @therealdfg66.
Follow Clemente Lisi on X/Twitter @ClementeLisi.
Podcast music by Retro Game Remix – follow them on YouTube.
Listen
Listen to the Puck Junk Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Overcast,
PlayerFM, PocketCasts, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Spotify, Stitcher,
or Transistor.
Connect
Connect with us and other hockey fans on the Puck Junk Facebook Group.
Subscribe
Subscribe to the Puck Junk Email Newsletter and the YouTube Channel.
Support
Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■